Omicron Scapegoating and the Socio-Economic Implications for Vaccine Poor African Countries

This statement from the Africa Policy Research Institute and other signatories condemns the travel restrictions imposed on Southern African countries following the detection of the Omicron variant. The authors argue that these bans are scientifically unjustified, racially biased, and economically damaging, while highlighting a systemic failure in global vaccine equity.

• The authors argue that travel restrictions imposed by the US, EU, and Canada on Southern African countries were unjustified, lacked a scientific basis, and were implemented even before the World Health Organization classified the B.1.1.529 variant as a 'variant of concern' on November 26, 2021.
• The document highlights a severe disparity in vaccine distribution, noting that while rich countries have fully vaccinated over 70% of their populations, African countries have fully vaccinated only 6.66%. Africa has received less than one-third of its ordered vaccines, totaling 403 million doses for 1.3 billion people.
• Travel bans are described as economically crippling for Southern African nations, particularly affecting the tourism sector. Tourism contributes approximately 3% of South Africa's GDP, 11% of Namibia's, and 13% of Botswana's.
• The statement claims that travel restrictions unfairly stigmatize Africa and are accompanied by racially discriminatory media coverage, citing German headlines that framed the virus as coming from Africa.
• The authors assert that the Omicron variant may not have originated in South Africa, noting that the RIVM in the Netherlands detected the variant in samples from November 19 to 23, 2021, which predates South Africa's public announcement.

APA

Abimbola, O., Prempeh, C., Simeoni, C., Iyer, N., Braganza, J. R., Links, S., Ampofo, N. A., Chivhanga, W., Aggad, F., Iroulo, L. C., Chair, C., Mosioma, A., & Ndzendze, B. (2021). Omicron Scapegoating and the Socio-Economic Implications for Vaccine Poor African Countries. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/omicron-scapegoating-and-the-socio-economic-implications-for-vaccine-poor-african-countries

Chicago

Abimbola, Olumide, Claudia Prempeh, Crystal Simeoni, Neema Iyer, Jason Rosario Braganza, Stacey Links, Nana Adu Ampofo, et al. Omicron Scapegoating and the Socio-Economic Implications for Vaccine Poor African Countries. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2021. https://afripoli.org/omicron-scapegoating-and-the-socio-economic-implications-for-vaccine-poor-african-countries.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Abimbola |first1=Olumide |last2=Prempeh |first2=Claudia |last3=Simeoni |first3=Crystal |last4=Iyer |first4=Neema |last5=Braganza |first5=Jason Rosario |last6=Links |first6=Stacey |last7=Ampofo |first7=Nana Adu |last8=Chivhanga |first8=Willson |last9=Aggad |first9=Faten |display-authors=etal |title=Omicron Scapegoating and the Socio-Economic Implications for Vaccine Poor African Countries |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=2 December 2021 |url=https://afripoli.org/omicron-scapegoating-and-the-socio-economic-implications-for-vaccine-poor-african-countries |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{abimbola2021omicron, author = {Abimbola, Olumide and Prempeh, Claudia and Simeoni, Crystal and Iyer, Neema and Braganza, Jason Rosario and Links, Stacey and Ampofo, Nana Adu and Chivhanga, Willson and Aggad, Faten and Iroulo, Lynda Chinenye and Chair, Chenai and Mosioma, Alvin and Ndzendze, Bhaso}, title = {{Omicron Scapegoating and the Socio-Economic Implications for Vaccine Poor African Countries}}, publisher = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://afripoli.org/omicron-scapegoating-and-the-socio-economic-implications-for-vaccine-poor-african-countries}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }